Luke Cage: The good and the bad of season 1

Marvel’s Luke Cage

Season 2 of Luke Cage will arrive soon, so let’s look back at its first season.

Luke Cage is back! Season 2 of Luke Cage is coming to Netflix June 22nd. A teaser trailer came out and it was a perfect way to tease the fans without giving away too much (looking at you, Venom trailer). We were able to see Luke Cage use his strength, unbreakable skin, and he even wore a cool pro black hoodie. While there may be anticipation for season 2 of Luke Cage, there were some glaring issues.

No show is perfect. It’s almost impossible when you have so many hours of content. A lot of us binge watch Netflix shows. A show is so good that we can’t wait to get to start the next one. So one episode turns into two. Next thing you know you almost finished.  There were some amazing and fun parts spread in the middle and towards the end, but there was a lot of bad. Here are the good and the bad of Luke Cage season one.

The acting and the characters

The Good

As the Luke Cage said in the teaser, you can’t burn him, blast him, and you definitely can’t break him. Mike Colter was amazing as Luke Cage. Colter took everything that was great about Luke Cage in the comic books and brought it to life. The subtle hints of Luke’s arrogance, his knowledge of black history and how proud he was to be black, and his take no tolerance attitude when it came to Injustice. Simone Missick shocked viers with her performance as Detective Misty Knight. She wasn’t a stereotypical sassy black woman. She was smart, methodical, and tough. Then, there’s Mahershala Ali. Ali put on a short but phenomenal performance. Everything Cottonmouth did made Luke Cage a better hero. When he was killed, the show took a turn for the worse. Which brings me to the bad.

The Bad

Eric LaRay Harvey may be a good actor, but his skills as an actor didn’t shine in Luke Cage. Eric LaRay Harvey played Luke Cage’s more ruthless and much crazier brother Willis Stryker. LaRay played the role well enough, but it didn’t fit the series. Cottonmouth made Luke Cage better. Diamondback was just a villain for him to hit. He wasn’t suave, cool, or intelligent. He was just an overhyped goon. Luke Cage needs someone who challenges Luke with more than just physical strength. It seemed like Mariah Dillard was supposed to balance things out.

Alfre Woodard is a veteran actress with over 100 credits in over 20 years. She had all the skill to be an amazing character in Luke Cage, but she fell short. When she was with Cottonmouth, she was great. They played off each other well. After she killed him, it seemed like her character was lost. Shade added absolutely nothing to their dynamic either. And the actor (Theo Rossi from Sons of Anarchy) is a good actor. If she is going to be in season 2, she will need a makeover.